ORCHARD LAKE — Trey McKenney’s teammates at St. Mary’s Prep are in the process of getting along without him on the basketball floor.
Hopefully, not for long.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound senior forward has had an immense presence in nearly 90 games he’s played since he arrived as a freshman, resetting the school’s career scoring record, earning All-State and All-Catholic League honors, leading the Eaglets to the state championship a year ago, and making a commitment to play at the University of Michigan instead of at more than three dozen other universities who’d shown an interest in him.
Just a couple of weeks ago, on Jan. 9, McKenney poured in 37 points against IGM Academy of Florida before an overflow audience at Oakland University’s O’Rena. In the third quarter, he jammed his fingers on his left hand, later diagnosed as a broken metacarpal bone.
He watched from the bench two nights later when his teammates lost 69-68 to No. 2-rated East Lansing and again last Friday night a 57-47 victory over Novi Detroit Catholic Central.
Coach Todd Covert wouldn’t commit to the probability of McKenney’s suiting up this coming Friday night for a crucial Catholic League Central Division showdown at Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice. Both the No. 3-rated Warriors (13-1; 3-1 Division) and No. 4 Eaglets (8-5; 4-1) have lost to division leader No. 1 University of Detroit Jesuit (11-0; 6-0).
“I can’t keep him out of the gym,” Covert said. McKenney maintains his regimen of solo practicing at 6 in the morning before classes and/or in the evening and/or whenever the gym is available.
While it can be assumed McKenney would have made a difference in the loss to East Lansing, his teammates rallied for an early 17-8 lead against Catholic Central (6-7; 1-5) and kept the advantage throughout, sealing the decision with the last seven points in the closing three minutes.
Isaiah Hines (15 points), Jayden Savoury (13) and Sharrod Barnes (12) led St. Mary’s attack. Devin Lee had a game-high 17 for CC and Jackson Bowden 10.
Warm up! Time to play ball!
While we are in a deep freeze, the state’s high school baseball coaches released their pre-season rankings for the upcoming 2025 campaign.
Three schools were rated No. 1 in their divisions: Brother Rice in Division 1, St. Mary’s Prep in Division 2 and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett in Division 3.
Coach Bob Riker’s Warriors had an outstanding 44-2 record a year ago. They were dealt a stunning 2-1 loss to Northville in the state final. Brother Rice won state championships in 2008, 1994 and 1992. It is also the defending CHSL Bishop Division champ.
St. Mary’s was the talk of the prep baseball world with its combined 87-1 record in 2021 and 2022 and its record-setting 84 wins in a row achieved between May 2021 and May 2023. The Eaglets will be looking to rebound from a subpar 11-12 record last year.
Liggett was a 2021 champ to add to their collection of trophies from 2016, 2014, 2013, 2011 and 1979.
Other CHSL schools in the ratings:
- Catholic Central No. 8 in Division 1.
- Dearborn Divine Child No. 11 and Macomb Lutheran North No. 15 in Division 2.
- In Division 3, Jackson Lumen Christi, the defending CHSL Cardinal Division titlist, is ranked No. 2. The defending CHSL Ste. Anne Division winner, Ann Arbor Greenhills, is rated No. 4.
- In Division 4, Marine City Cardinal Mooney, a state semifinalist last year, is ranked No. 4 and Riverview Gabriel Richard No. 12.
